Capacitor connections in dielectric layers

ABSTRACT

Embodiments herein describe techniques for a semiconductor device including a substrate. A first capacitor includes a first top plate and a first bottom plate above the substrate. The first top plate is coupled to a first metal electrode within an inter-level dielectric (ILD) layer to access the first capacitor. A second capacitor includes a second top plate and a second bottom plate, where the second top plate is coupled to a second metal electrode within the ILD layer to access the second capacitor. The second metal electrode is disjoint from the first metal electrode. The first capacitor is accessed through the first metal electrode without accessing the second capacitor through the second metal electrode. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/457,634, filed on Jun. 28, 2019, the entire contents of which ishereby incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field ofsemiconductor devices, and more particularly, to capacitors indielectric layers at the back-end-of-line of semiconductor processing.

BACKGROUND

Capacitors may be used in memory devices, which are important parts ofintegrated circuits (IC) and semiconductor devices. A memory device,e.g., a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) array, may include aplurality of memory cells, where a memory cell may include a selector,e.g., a transistor, to control the access to a storage cell, e.g., acapacitor. A silicon transistor in a substrate or a thin-film transistor(TFT) in the back-end-of-line of semiconductor processing may be used asa selector for a memory device. However, current designs andimplementations of memory devices, e.g., DRAM devices, still face manychallenges. In addition to memory devices, capacitors may be used inmany other applications.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments will be readily understood by the following detaileddescription in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. To facilitatethis description, like reference numerals designate like structuralelements. Embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not by wayof limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings.

FIGS. 1(a)-1(c) schematically illustrate diagrams of a semiconductordevice including a first capacitor and a second capacitor, in accordancewith some embodiments.

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a diagram of a semiconductor deviceincluding memory cells having a first capacitor and a second capacitor,in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 3 illustrates a process for forming a semiconductor deviceincluding a first capacitor and a second capacitor, in accordance withsome embodiments.

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates a memory array with multiple memorycells including multiple capacitors, in accordance with someembodiments.

FIG. 5 schematically illustrates an interposer implementing one or moreembodiments of the disclosure, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 6 schematically illustrates a computing device built in accordancewith an embodiment of the disclosure, in accordance with someembodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Memory devices are important parts of integrated circuits (IC) andsemiconductor devices. High density or high bandwidth memory devices maybe particularly useful for many applications, e.g., graphics, artificialintelligence, machine learning, or compute in or near memory. Dynamicrandom access memory (DRAM), or an enhanced or embedded dynamic randomaccess memory (eDRAM), may be one of the leading candidates for highdensity or high bandwidth memory devices. A memory array, e.g., a DRAMor an eDRAM, may include a plurality of memory cells, wherein a memorycell may include a selector, e.g., a transistor, to control the accessto a storage cell. In embodiments, the storage cell may be a capacitorto store charge, resulting in a 1T1C (one transistor, one capacitor)architecture for the memory cell. In detail, the capacitor can either becharged or discharged; these two states are taken to represent the twovalues of a bit, conventionally called 0 and 1. Accessing a capacitor ina memory cell may refer to read the state, e.g., charged or discharged,of the capacitor, or to change a state, e.g., store data, of thecapacitor. To store data, a voltage is applied to charge or dischargethe memory cell storage capacitor to the desired state. Accessing acapacitor in a memory cell may also refer to any other memory operationsto be performed on the memory cell and the capacitor.

Memory devices may be implemented with capacitor over bit (COB).However, conventional implementations of memory devices, e.g., 1T1Cdevice, may face some problems. For example, in some currentimplementations, multiple memory cells of a memory device may havemultiple capacitors electrically coupled by their top plates withoutaccess to an individual capacitor. Accordingly, the multiple capacitorsof the multiple memory cells can only be accessed, charged, ordischarged, together at once. Such a connection scheme for multiplememory cells may limit the connectivity between the memory device andlogic circuits. Furthermore, memory devices including multiple memorycells with multiple capacitors electrically coupled by their top platesmay be less reliable. For example, if a top plate of a capacitor withinone memory cell is shorted, all other memory cells with capacitorshaving their top plates coupled to the faulty capacitor will be shortedas well.

Embodiments herein present a memory device including individualcapacitor coupled to different bit line of the memory device. A firstcapacitor of a first memory cell of a memory array includes a first topplate coupled to a first metal electrode, while a second capacitor of asecond memory cell of the memory array includes a second top platecoupled to a second metal electrode disjoint from the first metalelectrode. Hence, the first top plate is not directly coupled to thesecond top plate so that a logic circuit accessing the first capacitormay not access the second capacitor. To the contrary, the firstcapacitor is accessed by a logic circuit through the first metalelectrode without accessing the second capacitor through the secondmetal electrode. The so formed first capacitor and second capacitor mayallow more complex usage of the memory array. In addition, such a memorydevice will be more reliable as well. In some embodiments, a via mayfunction as a top plate of a capacitor, which may further simplify theprocessing steps by eliminating the top plate. Moreover, capacitorspresented in embodiments herein may be used in applications other thanmemory arrays or memory devices.

Embodiments herein present a semiconductor device including a substrate.A first capacitor includes a first top plate and a first bottom plateabove the substrate. The first top plate is coupled to a first metalelectrode within an inter-level dielectric (ILD) layer to access thefirst capacitor. A second capacitor includes a second top plate and asecond bottom plate, where the second top plate is coupled to a secondmetal electrode within the ILD layer to access the second capacitor. Thesecond metal electrode is disjoint from the first metal electrode. Thefirst capacitor is accessed through the first metal electrode withoutaccessing the second capacitor through the second metal electrode.

Embodiments herein present a method for forming a semiconductor device.The method includes forming a first inter-level dielectric (ILD) layerabove a substrate. In addition, the method includes forming a firstbottom plate of a first capacitor and a second bottom plate of a secondcapacitor within the first ILD layer; forming a first capacitordielectric layer adjacent to and above the first bottom plate, and asecond capacitor dielectric layer adjacent to and above the secondbottom plate; and forming a first top plate of the first capacitoradjacent to and above the first capacitor dielectric layer, and a secondtop plate of the second capacitor adjacent to and above the secondcapacitor dielectric layer. Furthermore, the method includes forming afirst metal electrode within a second ILD layer and coupled to the firsttop plate, and forming a second metal electrode within the second ILDlayer and coupled to the second top plate. The second metal electrode isdisjoint from the first metal electrode. The first capacitor is accessedthrough the first metal electrode without accessing the second capacitorthrough the second metal electrode.

Embodiments herein present a computing device, which includes a circuitboard, and a memory device coupled to the circuit board and including amemory array. In more detail, the memory array may include a pluralityof memory cells. A first memory cell of the plurality of memory cellsincludes a first transistor and a first capacitor, and a second memorycell of the plurality of memory cells includes a second transistor and asecond capacitor. The first capacitor includes a first bottom plate anda first top plate, where the first top plate is coupled to a first metalelectrode within an inter-level dielectric (ILD) layer to access thefirst capacitor. The second capacitor includes a second top plate and asecond bottom plate, where the second top plate is coupled to a secondmetal electrode within the ILD layer to access the second capacitor. Thesecond metal electrode is disjoint from the first metal electrode. Thefirst capacitor is accessed through the first metal electrode withoutaccessing the second capacitor through the second metal electrode.

Front-end-of-line (FEOL) semiconductor processing and structures mayrefer to a first portion of IC fabrication where individual devices(e.g., transistors, capacitors, resistors, etc.) are patterned in asemiconductor substrate or layer. FEOL generally covers everything up to(but not including) the deposition of metal interconnect layers. Atransistor formed in FEOL may also be referred to as a front-endtransistor. Following the last FEOL operation, the result is typically awafer with isolated transistors (e.g., without any wires). Back end ofline (BEOL) semiconductor processing and structures may refer to asecond portion of IC fabrication where the individual devices (e.g.,transistors, capacitors, resistors, etc.) are interconnected with wiringon the wafer, e.g., the metallization layer or layers. BEOL includesmetal contacts, dielectrics layers, metal levels, and bonding sites forchip-to-package connections. In the BEOL part of the fabrication, metalcontacts, pads, interconnect wires, vias, and dielectric structures maybe formed. For modern IC processes, more than 10 metal layers may beadded in the BEOL. A thin film transistor (TFT) is a kind offield-effect transistor formed at BEOL and including a channel layer, agate electrode, and source and drain electrodes, over a supporting butnon-conducting substrate.

In the following description, various aspects of the illustrativeimplementations will be described using terms commonly employed by thoseskilled in the art to convey the substance of their work to othersskilled in the art. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in theart that the present disclosure may be practiced with only some of thedescribed aspects. For purposes of explanation, specific numbers,materials and configurations are set forth in order to provide athorough understanding of the illustrative implementations. However, itwill be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present disclosuremay be practiced without the specific details. In other instances,well-known features are omitted or simplified in order not to obscurethe illustrative implementations.

Various operations will be described as multiple discrete operations, inturn, in a manner that is most helpful in understanding the presentdisclosure. However, the order of description should not be construed toimply that these operations are necessarily order dependent. Inparticular, these operations may not be performed in the order ofpresentation. For the purposes of the present disclosure, the phrase “Aand/or B” means (A), (B), or (A and B). For the purposes of the presentdisclosure, the phrase “A, B, and/or C” means (A), (B), (C), (A and B),(A and C), (B and C), or (A, B and C).

The terms “over,” “under,” “between,” “above,” and “on” as used hereinmay refer to a relative position of one material layer or component withrespect to other layers or components. For example, one layer disposedover or under another layer may be directly in contact with the otherlayer or may have one or more intervening layers. Moreover, one layerdisposed between two layers may be directly in contact with the twolayers or may have one or more intervening layers. In contrast, a firstlayer “on” a second layer is in direct contact with that second layer.Similarly, unless explicitly stated otherwise, one feature disposedbetween two features may be in direct contact with the adjacent featuresor may have one or more intervening features.

The description may use the phrases “in an embodiment,” or “inembodiments,” which may each refer to one or more of the same ordifferent embodiments. Furthermore, the terms “comprising,” “including,”“having,” and the like, as used with respect to embodiments of thepresent disclosure, are synonymous.

The term “coupled with,” along with its derivatives, may be used herein.“Coupled” may mean one or more of the following. “Coupled” may mean thattwo or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact.However, “coupled” may also mean that two or more elements indirectlycontact each other, but yet still cooperate or interact with each other,and may mean that one or more other elements are coupled or connectedbetween the elements that are said to be coupled with each other. Theterm “directly coupled” may mean that two or more elements are in directcontact.

In various embodiments, the phrase “a first feature formed, deposited,or otherwise disposed on a second feature” may mean that the firstfeature is formed, deposited, or disposed over the second feature, andat least a part of the first feature may be in direct contact (e.g.,direct physical and/or electrical contact) or indirect contact (e.g.,having one or more other features between the first feature and thesecond feature) with at least a part of the second feature.

Where the disclosure recites “a” or “a first” element or the equivalentthereof, such disclosure includes one or more such elements, neitherrequiring nor excluding two or more such elements. Further, ordinalindicators (e.g., first, second, or third) for identified elements areused to distinguish between the elements, and do not indicate or imply arequired or limited number of such elements, nor do they indicate aparticular position or order of such elements unless otherwisespecifically stated.

As used herein, the term “circuitry” may refer to, be part of, orinclude an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an electroniccircuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group), and/or memory(shared, dedicated, or group) that execute one or more software orfirmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitablehardware components that provide the described functionality. As usedherein, “computer-implemented method” may refer to any method executedby one or more processors, a computer system having one or moreprocessors, a mobile device such as a smartphone (which may include oneor more processors), a tablet, a laptop computer, a set-top box, agaming console, and so forth.

Implementations of the disclosure may be formed or carried out on asubstrate, such as a semiconductor substrate. In one implementation, thesemiconductor substrate may be a crystalline substrate formed using abulk silicon or a silicon-on-insulator substructure. In otherimplementations, the semiconductor substrate may be formed usingalternate materials, which may or may not be combined with silicon, thatinclude but are not limited to germanium, indium antimonide, leadtelluride, indium arsenide, indium phosphide, gallium arsenide, indiumgallium arsenide, gallium antimonide, or other combinations of groupIII-V or group IV materials. Although a few examples of materials fromwhich the substrate may be formed are described here, any material thatmay serve as a foundation upon which a semiconductor device may be builtfalls within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

A plurality of transistors, such as metal-oxide-semiconductorfield-effect transistors (MOSFET or simply MOS transistors), may befabricated on the substrate. In various implementations of thedisclosure, the MOS transistors may be planar transistors, nonplanartransistors, or a combination of both. Nonplanar transistors includeFinFET transistors such as double-gate transistors and tri-gatetransistors, and wrap-around or all-around gate transistors such asnanoribbon and nanowire transistors. Although the implementationsdescribed herein may illustrate only planar transistors, it should benoted that the disclosure may also be carried out using nonplanartransistors.

Each MOS transistor includes a gate stack formed of at least two layers,a gate dielectric layer and a gate electrode layer. The gate dielectriclayer may include one layer or a stack of layers. The one or more layersmay include silicon oxide, silicon dioxide (SiO₂) and/or a high-kdielectric material. The high-k dielectric material may include elementssuch as hafnium, silicon, oxygen, titanium, tantalum, lanthanum,aluminum, zirconium, barium, strontium, yttrium, lead, scandium,niobium, and zinc. Examples of high-k materials that may be used in thegate dielectric layer include, but are not limited to, hafnium oxide,hafnium silicon oxide, lanthanum oxide, lanthanum aluminum oxide,zirconium oxide, zirconium silicon oxide, tantalum oxide, titaniumoxide, barium strontium titanium oxide, barium titanium oxide, strontiumtitanium oxide, yttrium oxide, aluminum oxide, lead scandium tantalumoxide, and lead zinc niobate. In some embodiments, an annealing processmay be carried out on the gate dielectric layer to improve its qualitywhen a high-k material is used.

The gate electrode layer is formed on the gate dielectric layer and mayconsist of at least one P-type work function metal or N-type workfunction metal, depending on whether the transistor is to be a PMOS oran NMOS transistor. In some implementations, the gate electrode layermay consist of a stack of two or more metal layers, where one or moremetal layers are work function metal layers and at least one metal layeris a fill metal layer. Further metal layers may be included for otherpurposes, such as a barrier layer.

For a PMOS transistor, metals that may be used for the gate electrodeinclude, but are not limited to, ruthenium, palladium, platinum, cobalt,nickel, and conductive metal oxides, e.g., ruthenium oxide. A P-typemetal layer will enable the formation of a PMOS gate electrode with awork function that is between about 4.9 eV and about 5.2 eV. For an NMOStransistor, metals that may be used for the gate electrode include, butare not limited to, hafnium, zirconium, titanium, tantalum, aluminum,alloys of these metals, and carbides of these metals such as hafniumcarbide, zirconium carbide, titanium carbide, tantalum carbide, andaluminum carbide. An N-type metal layer will enable the formation of anNMOS gate electrode with a work function that is between about 3.9 eVand about 4.2 eV.

In some implementations, when viewed as a cross-section of thetransistor along the source-channel-drain direction, the gate electrodemay consist of a “U”-shaped structure that includes a bottom portionsubstantially parallel to the surface of the substrate and two sidewallportions that are substantially perpendicular to the top surface of thesubstrate. In another implementation, at least one of the metal layersthat form the gate electrode may simply be a planar layer that issubstantially parallel to the top surface of the substrate and does notinclude sidewall portions substantially perpendicular to the top surfaceof the substrate. In further implementations of the disclosure, the gateelectrode may consist of a combination of U-shaped structures andplanar, non-U-shaped structures. For example, the gate electrode mayconsist of one or more U-shaped metal layers formed atop one or moreplanar, non-U-shaped layers.

In some implementations of the disclosure, a pair of sidewall spacersmay be formed on opposing sides of the gate stack that bracket the gatestack. The sidewall spacers may be formed from a material such assilicon nitride, silicon oxide, silicon carbide, silicon nitride dopedwith carbon, and silicon oxynitride. Processes for forming sidewallspacers are well known in the art and generally include deposition andetching process operations. In an alternate implementation, a pluralityof spacer pairs may be used, for instance, two pairs, three pairs, orfour pairs of sidewall spacers may be formed on opposing sides of thegate stack.

As is well known in the art, source and drain regions are formed withinthe substrate adjacent to the gate stack of each MOS transistor. Thesource and drain regions are generally formed using either animplantation/diffusion process or an etching/deposition process. In theformer process, dopants such as boron, aluminum, antimony, phosphorous,or arsenic may be ion-implanted into the substrate to form the sourceand drain regions. An annealing process that activates the dopants andcauses them to diffuse further into the substrate typically follows theion implantation process. In the latter process, the substrate may firstbe etched to form recesses at the locations of the source and drainregions. An epitaxial deposition process may then be carried out to fillthe recesses with material that is used to fabricate the source anddrain regions. In some implementations, the source and drain regions maybe fabricated using a silicon alloy such as silicon germanium or siliconcarbide. In some implementations the epitaxially deposited silicon alloymay be doped in situ with dopants such as boron, arsenic, orphosphorous. In further embodiments, the source and drain regions may beformed using one or more alternate semiconductor materials such asgermanium or a group III-V material or alloy. And in furtherembodiments, one or more layers of metal and/or metal alloys may be usedto form the source and drain regions.

One or more interlayer dielectrics (ILD) are deposited over the MOStransistors. The ILD layers may be formed using dielectric materialsknown for their applicability in integrated circuit structures, such aslow-k dielectric materials. Examples of dielectric materials that may beused include, but are not limited to, silicon dioxide (SiO₂), carbondoped oxide (CDO), silicon nitride, organic polymers such asperfluorocyclobutane or polytetrafluoroethylene, fluorosilicate glass(FSG), and organosilicates such as silsesquioxane, siloxane, ororganosilicate glass. The ILD layers may include pores or air gaps tofurther reduce their dielectric constant.

FIGS. 1(a)-1(c) schematically illustrate diagrams of a semiconductordevice including a first capacitor and a second capacitor, in accordancewith some embodiments. FIG. 1(a) shows a semiconductor device 100including a capacitor 110 and a capacitor 120. FIG. 1(b) shows asemiconductor device 130 including a capacitor 140 and a capacitor 150.FIG. 1(c) shows a semiconductor device 160 including a capacitor 170 anda capacitor 180.

In embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1(a), the semiconductor device 100includes a substrate 101, an ILD layer 103 above the substrate 101, andan ILD layer 105 above the ILD layer 103. The ILD layer 103 may includea material different from a material in the ILD layer 105. For example,the dielectric material in the ILD layer 103 may have a higherdielectric constant than the dielectric material in the ILD layer 105.In some other embodiments, the dielectric material in the ILD layer 103and the ILD layer 105 may be the same. As a result, the ILD layer 103and the ILD layer 105 is merged into one ILD layer. The layers shown inFIG. 1(a) are only for examples, and there may be many other layers notshown, e.g., an etching stop layer, a passivation layer, or a liner.

In embodiments, the capacitor 110 includes a bottom plate 102 above thesubstrate 101, a capacitor dielectric layer 104 adjacent to and abovethe bottom plate 102, and a top plate 106 adjacent to and above thecapacitor dielectric layer 104. The top plate 106 is coupled to a metalelectrode 109 through a via 108 in the ILD layer 105. In addition, thebottom plate 102 is coupled to a via 107, which may further be coupledto a metal electrode, not shown. A logic circuit may access thecapacitor 110 to through the metal electrode 109, the via 108, and thetop plate 106. For example, a memory logic circuit may access thecapacitor 110 to read, write, or perform any other memory operationsthrough the metal electrode 109, the via 108, and the top plate 106.

In embodiments, the capacitor 120 includes a bottom plate 112 above thesubstrate 101, a capacitor dielectric layer 114 adjacent to and abovethe bottom plate 112, and a top plate 116 adjacent to and above thecapacitor dielectric layer 114. The top plate 116 is coupled to a metalelectrode 119 through a via 118 in the ILD layer 105. In addition, thebottom plate 112 is coupled to a via 117, which may further be coupledto a metal electrode, not shown. A logic circuit, may access thecapacitor 120 through the metal electrode 119, the via 118, and the topplate 116. For example, a memory logic circuit may access the capacitor120 to read, write, or perform any other memory operations through themetal electrode 119, the via 118, and the top plate 116.

In embodiments, the metal electrode 109 and the metal electrode 119 aresubstantially coplanar with respect to a surface of the substrate 101.In some other embodiments, the metal electrode 109 and the metalelectrode 119 may be substantially parallel in a vertical direction withrespect to the surface of the substrate. The metal electrode 109 and themetal electrode 119 may be formed in a uniformed process so that theyare substantially coplanar or substantially parallel. The metalelectrode 109 and the metal electrode 119 are disjoint. Hence, the metalelectrode 109 and the metal electrode 119 are physically discrete twodifferent metal electrodes. In addition, a current or voltage may flowthrough the metal electrode 109 without flowing through the metalelectrode 119. Therefore, the metal electrode 109 and the metalelectrode 119 may be used to control the capacitor 110 and the capacitor120 in different states. In some embodiments, the capacitor 110 isaccessed through the metal electrode 109 without accessing the capacitor120 through the metal electrode 119, where to access the capacitor 110may refer to read or write the capacitor 110 through the metal electrode109. For example, the capacitor 110 is included in a first bit cell of amemory array, and the capacitor 120 is included in a second bit cell ofthe memory array. The metal electrode 109 is coupled to a first bit lineof the memory array, and the metal electrode 119 is coupled to a secondbit line of the memory array different from the first bit line.Therefore, the bit line coupled to the metal electrode 109 and thecapacitor 110 can be accessed individually without accessing the bitline coupled to the metal electrode 119 and the capacitor 120.

In embodiments, the bottom plate 102, the bottom plate 112, thecapacitor dielectric layer 104, the capacitor dielectric layer 114, thetop plate 106, and the top plate 116 may be of various shapes. Forexample, the bottom plate 102, the bottom plate 112, the capacitordielectric layer 104, the capacitor dielectric layer 114, the top plate106, or the top plate 116, may include a U-shaped portion, or may be ofa square shape, a rectangular shape, or a polygon comprising three ormore sides.

In embodiments, the substrate 101 may include a material selected fromthe group consisting of a silicon substrate, a glass substrate, a metalsubstrate, and a plastic substrate. The ILD layer 103 or the ILD layer105 may include a material selected from the group consisting of silicondioxide (SiO₂), carbon doped oxide (CDO), silicon nitride,perfluorocyclobutane, polytetrafluoroethylene, fluorosilicate glass(FSG), organic polymer, silsesquioxane, siloxane, and organosilicateglass. The bottom plate 102, the bottom plate 112, the top plate 106, orthe top plate 116 may include a material selected from the groupconsisting of titanium (Ti), molybdenum (Mo), gold (Au), platinum (Pt),aluminum (Al), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), hafnium (Hf),indium (In), and an alloy of Ti, Mo, Au, Pt, Al, Ni, Cu, Cr, TiAlN,HfAlN, or InAlO. Furthermore, the capacitor dielectric layer 104 or thecapacitor dielectric layer 114 may include one or more high-k dielectricmaterials selected from the group consisting of hafnium silicate,zirconium silicate, hafnium dioxide, hafnium zirconate, zirconiumdioxide, aluminum oxide, titanium oxide, silicon nitride, carbon dopedsilicon nitride, silicon carbide, and nitride hafnium silicate.

In embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1(b), the semiconductor device 130includes a substrate 131, an ILD layer 141, an ILD layer 133, and an ILDlayer 135. Some of the ILD layers may be merged into one ILD layer.

In embodiments, the capacitor 140 includes a bottom plate 132 above thesubstrate 131, a capacitor dielectric layer 134 adjacent to and abovethe bottom plate 132. Different from the capacitor 110 in FIG. 1(a), thecapacitor 140 does not have a top plate. Instead, a via 138 serves asthe top plate. The via 138 is in contact with the capacitor dielectriclayer 134 separating the bottom plate 132 and the via 138. In someembodiments, the via 138 may be extended partially into the capacitordielectric layer 134. In addition, the via 138 is in contact with ametal electrode 139. A logic circuit, e.g., a memory control circuit,may access the capacitor 140 through the metal electrode 139 and the via138. Furthermore, the bottom plate 132 is coupled with a metal electrode136 through a via 137, where the metal electrode 136 is in the ILD layer141, and the bottom plate 132 is in the ILD 133.

In embodiments, the capacitor 150 includes a bottom plate 142 above thesubstrate 131, a capacitor dielectric layer 144 adjacent to and abovethe bottom plate 142. A via 148 serves as the top plate and is incontact with the capacitor dielectric layer 144 separating the bottomplate 142 and the via 148. In addition, the via 148 is in contact with ametal electrode 149. A logic circuit, e.g., a memory control circuit,may access the capacitor 150 through the metal electrode 149 and the via148. Furthermore, the bottom plate 142 is coupled with a metal electrode146 through a via 147, where the metal electrode 146 is in the ILD layer141, and the bottom plate 142 is in the ILD 133.

In embodiments, the metal electrode 139 and the metal electrode 149 aresubstantially coplanar with respect to a surface of the substrate 131,while the via 138 and the via 148 are substantially parallel in avertical direction with respect to the surface of the substrate 131. Themetal electrode 139 and the metal electrode 149, and the via 138 and thevia 148, may be formed in a uniformed process so that they aresubstantially coplanar or substantially parallel. The metal electrode139 is disjoint from the metal electrode 149. In some embodiments, thecapacitor 140 is accessed through the metal electrode 139 withoutaccessing the capacitor 150 through the metal electrode 149, where toaccess the capacitor 140 may refer to read, write, or to perform anyother memory operations on the capacitor 140 through the metal electrode139.

In embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1(c), the semiconductor device 160includes a substrate 161, an ILD layer 163, and an ILD layer 165. Inembodiments, the capacitor 170 includes a bottom plate 162 above thesubstrate 161, a capacitor dielectric layer 164 adjacent to and abovethe bottom plate 162, and a top plate 166 adjacent to and above thecapacitor dielectric layer 164. Different from the capacitors in FIGS.1(a)-1(b), the capacitor 170 does not have a via coupled to the topplate 166. Instead, a metal electrode 169 is adjacent and in directcontact with the top plate 166. A logic circuit, e.g., a memory controlcircuit, may access the capacitor 170 through the metal electrode 169and the top plate 166. Furthermore, the bottom plate 162 is coupled witha via 167, which may be further coupled to a metal electrode, not shown.

In embodiments, the capacitor 180 includes a bottom plate 172 above thesubstrate 161, a capacitor dielectric layer 174 adjacent to and abovethe bottom plate 172, and a top plate 176 adjacent to and above thecapacitor dielectric layer 174. Different from the capacitors in FIGS.1(a)-1(b), the capacitor 180 does not have a via coupled to the topplate 176. Instead, a metal electrode 179 is adjacent and in directcontact with the top plate 176. A logic circuit, e.g., a memory controlcircuit, may access the capacitor 180 through the metal electrode 179and the top plate 176. Furthermore, the bottom plate 172 is coupled witha via 177, which may be further coupled to a metal electrode, not shown.

In embodiments, the metal electrode 169 and the metal electrode 179 aresubstantially coplanar with respect to a surface of the substrate 131.The metal electrode 169 and the metal electrode 179 may be formed in auniformed process so that they are substantially coplanar. The metalelectrode 169 is disjoint from the metal electrode 179. In someembodiments, the capacitor 170 is accessed through the metal electrode169 without accessing the capacitor 180 through the metal electrode 179,where to access the capacitor 170 may refer to read, write, or performany other memory operations on the capacitor 170 through the metalelectrode 169.

Embodiments shown in FIGS. 1(a)-1(c) are examples only and are notlimiting. There may be other embodiments not shown. For example, acapacitor may have a top plate directly serve as a metal electrode forinterconnect to other signal lines. In detail, the top plate 166 and themetal electrode 169 for the capacitor 170 may be merged into one metalelectrode.

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a diagram of a semiconductor device 200including memory cells having a capacitor 210 and a capacitor 220, inaccordance with some embodiments. In embodiments, the capacitor 210 andthe capacitor 220 may be similar to the capacitor 170 and the capacitor180 as shown in FIG. 1(c). In some other embodiments, capacitors similarto the capacitor 110 and the capacitor 120 as shown in FIG. 1(a), orsimilar to the capacitor 140 and the capacitor 150 as shown in FIG.1(b), may be used to replace the capacitor 210 and the capacitor 220 asshown in FIG. 2 .

In embodiments, the semiconductor device 200 includes a substrate 251,the FEOL 230 including the substrate 251, and the BEOL 240 above theFEOL 230. The BEOL 240 may include an interconnect structure withmultiple layers, e.g., an ILD layer 253, an ILD layer 254, an ILD layer256, and an ILD layer 257, above the substrate 251. There may be manyother layers in between. For example, a separation layer 255 liesbetween the ILD layer 253 and the ILD layer 257.

In embodiments, the BEOL 240 includes a TFT 239 coupled to the capacitor210 to form a memory cell, and a TFT 249 coupled to the capacitor 220 toform a memory cell. The memory cells shown here are for examples only.In some other embodiments, the capacitor 210 and the capacitor 220 maybe coupled to transistors at the FEOL 230 to form memory cells.

In embodiments, the capacitor 210 includes a bottom plate 202 above thesubstrate 251, a capacitor dielectric layer 204 adjacent to and abovethe bottom plate 202, and a top plate 206 adjacent to and above thecapacitor dielectric layer 204, where the top plate 206 is further incontact with a metal electrode 209 without a via. The capacitor 220includes a bottom plate 212 above the substrate 251, a capacitordielectric layer 214 adjacent to and above the bottom plate 212, and atop plate 216 adjacent to and above the capacitor dielectric layer 214,where the top plate 216 is further in contact with a metal electrode 219without a via.

In embodiments, the TFT 239 includes a gate electrode 236 above thesubstrate 251, a channel layer 232 including a channel material,separated from the gate electrode 236 by a gate dielectric layer 235,and a source electrode 231 and a drain electrode 233 above the channellayer 232. The TFT 239 further includes a capping layer 234 above thechannel layer 232. The drain electrode 233 is coupled to the bottomplate 202 by a short via 207 within the ILD layer 254.

In embodiments, the TFT 249 includes a gate electrode 246 above thesubstrate 251, a channel layer 242 including a channel material,separated from the gate electrode 246 by a gate dielectric layer 245,and a source electrode 241 and a drain electrode 243 above the channellayer 242. The TFT 249 further includes a capping layer 244 above thechannel layer 242. The drain electrode 243 is coupled to the bottomplate 212 by a short via 217 within the ILD layer 254.

In embodiments, the gate electrode 236 may be coupled to a first wordline of a memory array, the top plate 206 of the capacitor 210 may becoupled to a first bit line of the memory array, and the sourceelectrode 231 may be coupled to a first source line of the memory array.Similarly, the gate electrode 246 may be coupled to a second word lineof the memory array, the top plate 216 of the capacitor 220 may becoupled to a second bit line of the memory array, and the sourceelectrode 241 may be coupled to a second source line of the memoryarray.

In embodiments, the channel layer 232 or the channel layer 242 mayinclude a channel material selected from the group consisting of CuS₂,CuSe₂, WSe₂, indium doped zinc oxide (IZO), zinc tin oxide (ZTO),amorphous silicon (a-Si), amorphous germanium (a-Ge), low-temperaturepolycrystalline silicon (LTPS), transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD),yttrium-doped zinc oxide (YZO), polysilicon, poly germanium doped withboron, poly germanium doped with aluminum, poly germanium doped withphosphorous, poly germanium doped with arsenic, indium oxide, tin oxide,zinc oxide, gallium oxide, indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO), copperoxide, nickel oxide, cobalt oxide, indium tin oxide, tungstendisulphide, molybdenum disulphide, molybdenum selenide, blackphosphorus, indium antimonide, graphene, graphyne, borophene, germanene,silicene, Si2BN, stanene, phosphorene, molybdenite, poly-III-V likeInAs, InGaAs, InP, amorphous InGaZnO (a-IGZO), crystal-like InGaZnO(c-IGZO), GaZnON, ZnON, or C-Axis Aligned Crystal (CAAC), molybdenum andsulfur, and a group-VI transition metal dichalcogenide.

In embodiments, the BEOL 240 may be formed on the FEOL 230. The FEOL 230may include the substrate 251. In addition, the FEOL 230 may includeother devices, e.g., a transistor 264. In embodiments, the transistor264 may be a FEOL transistor, including a source 261, a drain 263, and agate 265, with a channel 267 between the source 261 and the drain 263under the gate 265. Furthermore, the transistor 264 may be coupled tointerconnects, e.g., a via 269.

FIG. 3 illustrates a process 300 for forming a semiconductor deviceincluding a first capacitor and a second capacitor, in accordance withsome embodiments. In embodiments, the process 300 may be applied to formthe semiconductor device 100 including the capacitor 110 and thecapacitor 120, as shown in FIG. 1(a); the semiconductor device 130including the capacitor 140 and the capacitor 150, as shown in FIG.1(b); the semiconductor device 160 including the capacitor 170 and thecapacitor 180; or the semiconductor device 200 including the capacitor210 and the capacitor 220, as shown in FIG. 2 .

At block 301, the process 300 may include forming a first ILD layerabove a substrate. For example, the process 300 may include forming theILD layer 103 above the substrate 101, as shown in FIGS. 1(a).

At block 303, the process 300 may include forming a first bottom plateof a first capacitor and a second bottom plate of a second capacitorwithin the first ILD layer. For example, the process 300 may includeforming the bottom plate 102 of the capacitor 110 and the bottom plate112 of the capacitor 120 within the ILD layer 103, as shown in FIGS.1(a).

At block 305, the process 300 may include forming a first capacitordielectric layer adjacent to and above the first bottom plate, and asecond capacitor dielectric layer adjacent to and above the secondbottom plate. For example, the process 300 may include forming thecapacitor dielectric layer 104 adjacent to and above the bottom plate102, and the capacitor dielectric layer 114 adjacent to and above thebottom plate 112, as shown in FIGS. 1(a).

At block 307, the process 300 may include forming a first top plate ofthe first capacitor adjacent to and above the first capacitor dielectriclayer, and a second top plate of the second capacitor adjacent to andabove the second capacitor dielectric layer. For example, the process300 may include forming the top plate 106 adjacent to and above thecapacitor dielectric layer 104, and the top plate 116 adjacent to andabove the capacitor dielectric layer 114, as shown in FIG. 1(a).

At block 309, the process 300 may include forming a first metalelectrode within a second ILD layer and coupled to the first top plate.For example, the process 300 may include forming the metal electrode 109within the ILD layer 105 and coupled to the top plate 106.

At block 311, the process 300 may include forming a second metalelectrode within the ILD layer and coupled to the second top plate,wherein the second metal electrode is disjoint from the first metalelectrode. As a result, the first capacitor is accessed through thefirst metal electrode without accessing the second capacitor through thesecond metal electrode. For example, the process 300 may include formingthe metal electrode 119 within the ILD layer 105 and coupled to the topplate 116. The metal electrode 119 is disjoint from the metal electrode109. As a result, the capacitor 110 is accessed through the metalelectrode 109 without accessing the capacitor 120 through the metalelectrode 119.

In addition, the process 300 may include additional operations to formother layers, e.g., ILD layers, encapsulation layers, insulation layers,not shown.

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates a memory array 400 with multiple memorycells (e.g., a memory cell 402, a memory cell 404, a memory cell 406,and a memory cell 408), including multiple capacitors separated by adielectric area, in accordance with some embodiments. A memory cell,e.g., the memory cell 402, may have a transistor, e.g., a transistor414, as a selector. In embodiments, the memory cell 402 and the memorycell 404 may be examples of the memory cells shown in FIG. 2 , where themultiple memory cells include multiple capacitors, e.g., the capacitor210 and the capacitor 220, where the top plates of the capacitors arecoupled to disjoint metal electrodes. The transistor 414 may be a TFT,similar to the TFT 239 or the TFT 249 as shown in FIG. 2 . In some otherembodiments, the transistor 414 may be a front end transistor having achannel within a substrate.

In embodiments, the multiple memory cells may be arranged in a number ofrows and columns coupled by bitlines, e.g., bitline B1 and bitline B2,wordlines, e.g., wordline W1 and wordline W2, and source lines, e.g.,source line S1 and source line S2. The memory cell 402 may be coupled inseries with the other memory cells of the same row, and may be coupledin parallel with the memory cells of the other rows. The memory array400 may include any suitable number of one or more memory cells.

In embodiments, multiple memory cells, such as the memory cell 402, thememory cell 404, the memory cell 406, and the memory cell 408, may havea similar configuration. For example, the memory cell 402 may includethe transistor 414 coupled to a storage cell 412 that may be acapacitor, which may be called a 1T1C configuration. The memory cell 402may be controlled through multiple electrical connections to read fromthe memory cell, write to the memory cell, and/or perform other memoryoperations.

The transistor 414 may be a selector for the memory cell 402. A wordlineW1 of the memory array 400 may be coupled to a gate electrode 411 of thetransistor 414. When the wordline W1 is active, the transistor 414 mayselect the storage cell 412. A bitline B1 of the memory array 400 may becoupled to an electrode 401 of the storage cell 412, while anotherelectrode 407 of the storage cell 412 may be shared with the transistor414. In addition, a source line S1 of the memory array 400 may becoupled to another electrode, e.g., an electrode 409 of the transistor414. The shared electrode 407 may be a drain electrode of the transistor414, while the electrode 409 may be a source electrode of the transistor414. A drain electrode and a source electrode may be usedinterchangeably herein. Additionally, a source line and a bit line maybe used interchangeably herein. In some other embodiments, the memorycells and the storage cells may be accessibly individually in differentbit lines, as illustrated in FIG. 2 .

In some embodiments, for the memory array 400, e.g., an eDRAM memoryarray, multiple memory cells may have source lines or bitlines coupledtogether and have a constant voltage. In some embodiments, a commonconnection may be shared among all the rows and all the columns of thememory array 400. When such sharing occurs, the bitline and source linemay not be interchangeable.

In various embodiments, the memory cells and the transistors, e.g., thememory cell 402 and the transistor 414, included in the memory array 400may be formed in BEOL, as shown in FIG. 2 . For example, the transistor414 may be illustrated as the TFT 239 or the TFT 249 shown in FIG. 2 atthe BEOL, and the storage cell 412 may be the capacitor 210 or thecapacitor 220. Furthermore, a capacitor of the memory cell 402 and acapacitor of the memory cell 404 may have their top plates coupled todisjoint metal electrodes, similar to the top plate 206 coupled to themetal electrode 209, and the top plate 216 coupled to the metalelectrode 219. In addition, the memory array 400 may be formed in highermetal layers, e.g., metal layer 3 and/or metal layer 4, of theintegrated circuit above the active substrate region, and may not occupythe active substrate area that is occupied by conventional transistorsor memory devices. In some other embodiments, the transistor 414 andtransistors of other memory cells may be front end transistors withchannels within a substrate.

FIG. 5 illustrates an interposer 500 that includes one or moreembodiments of the disclosure. The interposer 500 is an interveningsubstrate used to bridge a first substrate 502 to a second substrate504. The first substrate 502 may be, for instance, a substrate supportfor multiple memory cells, e.g., the memory cells as shown in FIG. 2 ,which includes the capacitor 210 and the capacitor 220. The secondsubstrate 504 may be, for instance, a memory module, a computermotherboard, or another integrated circuit die. For example, the secondsubstrate 504 may be a memory module including the memory array 400 asshown in FIG. 4 . Generally, the purpose of an interposer 500 is tospread a connection to a wider pitch or to reroute a connection to adifferent connection. For example, an interposer 500 may couple anintegrated circuit die to a ball grid array (BGA) 506 that cansubsequently be coupled to the second substrate 504. In someembodiments, the first and second substrates 502/504 are attached toopposing sides of the interposer 500. In other embodiments, the firstand second substrates 502/504 are attached to the same side of theinterposer 500. And in further embodiments, three or more substrates areinterconnected by way of the interposer 500.

The interposer 500 may be formed of an epoxy resin, afiberglass-reinforced epoxy resin, a ceramic material, or a polymermaterial such as polyimide. In further implementations, the interposer500 may be formed of alternate rigid or flexible materials that mayinclude the same materials described above for use in a semiconductorsubstrate, such as silicon, germanium, or other group III-V and group IVmaterials.

The interposer 500 may include metal interconnects 508 and vias 510,including but not limited to through-silicon vias (TSVs) 512. Theinterposer 500 may further include embedded devices 514, including bothpassive and active devices. Such devices include, but are not limitedto, capacitors, decoupling capacitors, resistors, inductors, fuses,diodes, transformers, sensors, and electrostatic discharge (ESD)devices. More complex devices such as radio-frequency (RF) devices,power amplifiers, power management devices, antennas, arrays, sensors,and MEMS devices may also be formed on the interposer 500.

In accordance with embodiments of the disclosure, apparatuses orprocesses disclosed herein may be used in the fabrication of interposer500.

FIG. 6 illustrates a computing device 600 in accordance with oneembodiment of the disclosure. The computing device 600 may include anumber of components. In one embodiment, these components are attachedto one or more motherboards. In an alternate embodiment, some or all ofthese components are fabricated onto a single system-on-a-chip (SoC)die, such as a SoC used for mobile devices. The components in thecomputing device 600 include, but are not limited to, an integratedcircuit die 602 and at least one communications logic unit 608. In someimplementations the communications logic unit 608 is fabricated withinthe integrated circuit die 602 while in other implementations thecommunications logic unit 608 is fabricated in a separate integratedcircuit chip that may be bonded to a substrate or motherboard that isshared with or electronically coupled to the integrated circuit die 602.The integrated circuit die 602 may include a processor 604 as well ason-die memory 606, often used as cache memory, which can be provided bytechnologies such as embedded DRAM (eDRAM), or SRAM. For example, theon-die memory 606 may include multiple memory cells, e.g., the memorycells as shown in FIG. 2 , which includes the capacitor 210 and thecapacitor 220.

In embodiments, the computing device 600 may include a display or atouchscreen display 624, and a touchscreen display controller 626. Adisplay or the touchscreen display 624 may include a FPD, an AMOLEDdisplay, a TFT LCD, a micro light-emitting diode (μLED) display, orothers.

Computing device 600 may include other components that may or may not bephysically and electrically coupled to the motherboard or fabricatedwithin a SoC die. These other components include, but are not limitedto, volatile memory 610 (e.g., dynamic random access memory (DRAM),non-volatile memory 612 (e.g., ROM or flash memory), a graphicsprocessing unit 614 (GPU), a digital signal processor (DSP) 616, acrypto processor 642 (e.g., a specialized processor that executescryptographic algorithms within hardware), a chipset 620, at least oneantenna 622 (in some implementations two or more antenna may be used), abattery 630 or other power source, a power amplifier (not shown), avoltage regulator (not shown), a global positioning system (GPS) device628, a compass, a motion coprocessor or sensors 632 (that may include anaccelerometer, a gyroscope, and a compass), a microphone (not shown), aspeaker 634, a camera 636, user input devices 638 (such as a keyboard,mouse, stylus, and touchpad), and a mass storage device 640 (such ashard disk drive, compact disk (CD), digital versatile disk (DVD), and soforth). The computing device 600 may incorporate further transmission,telecommunication, or radio functionality not already described herein.In some implementations, the computing device 600 includes a radio thatis used to communicate over a distance by modulating and radiatingelectromagnetic waves in air or space. In further implementations, thecomputing device 600 includes a transmitter and a receiver (or atransceiver) that is used to communicate over a distance by modulatingand radiating electromagnetic waves in air or space.

The communications logic unit 608 enables wireless communications forthe transfer of data to and from the computing device 600. The term“wireless” and its derivatives may be used to describe circuits,devices, systems, methods, techniques, communications channels, etc.,that may communicate data through the use of modulated electromagneticradiation through a non-solid medium. The term does not imply that theassociated devices do not contain any wires, although in someembodiments they might not. The communications logic unit 608 mayimplement any of a number of wireless standards or protocols, includingbut not limited to Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11 family), WiMAX (IEEE 802.16family), IEEE 802.20, long term evolution (LTE), Ev-DO, HSPA+, HSDPA+,HSUPA+, EDGE, GSM, GPRS, CDMA, TDMA, DECT, Infrared (IR), Near FieldCommunication (NFC), Bluetooth, derivatives thereof, as well as anyother wireless protocols that are designated as 3G, 4G, 5G, and beyond.The computing device 600 may include a plurality of communications logicunits 608. For instance, a first communications logic unit 608 may bededicated to shorter range wireless communications such as Wi-Fi, NFC,and Bluetooth and a second communications logic unit 608 may bededicated to longer range wireless communications such as GPS, EDGE,GPRS, CDMA, WiMAX, LTE, Ev-DO, and others.

The processor 604 of the computing device 600 includes one or moredevices, such as transistors. The term “processor” may refer to anydevice or portion of a device that processes electronic data fromregisters and/or memory to transform that electronic data into otherelectronic data that may be stored in registers and/or memory. Thecommunications logic unit 608 may also include one or more devices, suchas transistors.

In further embodiments, another component housed within the computingdevice 600 may contain one or more devices, such as DRAM, that areformed in accordance with implementations of the current disclosure,e.g., multiple memory cells, e.g., the memory cells as shown in FIG. 2 ,which includes the capacitor 210 and the capacitor 220. The capacitorsincluded in the multiple memory cells may be similar to the capacitor110 and the capacitor 120 as shown in FIG. 1(a); the capacitor 140 andthe capacitor 150 as shown in FIG. 1(b); or a semiconductor deviceformed following the process 300.

In various embodiments, the computing device 600 may be a laptopcomputer, a netbook computer, a notebook computer, an ultrabookcomputer, a smartphone, a dumbphone, a tablet, a tablet/laptop hybrid, apersonal digital assistant (PDA), an ultra mobile PC, a mobile phone, adesktop computer, a server, a printer, a scanner, a monitor, a set-topbox, an entertainment control unit, a digital camera, a portable musicplayer, or a digital video recorder. In further implementations, thecomputing device 600 may be any other electronic device that processesdata.

Some non-limiting Examples are provided below.

Example 1 may include a semiconductor device, comprising: a substrate; afirst capacitor including a first top plate and a first bottom plateabove the substrate, wherein the first top plate is coupled to a firstmetal electrode within an inter-level dielectric (ILD) layer to accessthe first capacitor; and a second capacitor including a second top plateand a second bottom plate, wherein the second top plate is coupled to asecond metal electrode within the ILD layer to access the secondcapacitor, and wherein the second metal electrode is disjoint from thefirst metal electrode, and the first capacitor is accessed through thefirst metal electrode without accessing the second capacitor through thesecond metal electrode.

Example 2 may include the semiconductor device of example 1 and/or someother examples herein, wherein the first metal electrode and the secondmetal electrode are substantially parallel in a vertical direction withrespect to a surface of the substrate, or the first metal electrode andthe second metal electrode are substantially coplanar with respect tothe surface of the substrate.

Example 3 may include the semiconductor device of example 1 and/or someother examples herein, wherein the first top plate is a via that is incontact with the first metal electrode, and wherein the via is incontact with a first capacitor dielectric layer separating the firstbottom plate and the via.

Example 4 may include the semiconductor device of example 1 and/or someother examples herein, wherein the first metal electrode is coupled tothe first top plate through a first via in the ILD layer, and the secondmetal electrode is coupled to the second top plate through a second viain the ILD layer.

Example 5 may include the semiconductor device of examples 1-4 and/orsome other examples herein, wherein the ILD layer is a first ILD layer,and wherein the first bottom plate is coupled to a third metal electrodewithin a second ILD layer, the second bottom plate is coupled to afourth metal electrode within the second ILD layer, and wherein thefourth metal electrode is disjoint from the third metal electrode.

Example 6 may include the semiconductor device of example 5 and/or someother examples herein, wherein the second ILD layer is a same layer asthe first ILD layer.

Example 7 may include the semiconductor device of examples 1-4 and/orsome other examples herein, wherein the first capacitor is included in afirst bit cell of a memory array, the second capacitor is included in asecond bit cell of the memory array, the first metal electrode iscoupled to a first bit line of the memory array, and the second metalelectrode is coupled to a second bit line of the memory array differentfrom the first bit line.

Example 8 may include the semiconductor device of examples 1-4 and/orsome other examples herein, wherein the first bottom plate or the firsttop plate includes a U-shaped portion.

Example 9 may include the semiconductor device of examples 1-4 and/orsome other examples herein, wherein the ILD layer includes a materialselected from the group consisting of silicon dioxide (SiO₂), carbondoped oxide (CDO), silicon nitride, perfluorocyclobutane,polytetrafluoroethylene, fluorosilicate glass (F SG), organic polymer,silsesquioxane, siloxane, and organosilicate glass.

Example 10 may include the semiconductor device of examples 1-4 and/orsome other examples herein, wherein the first bottom plate, the secondbottom plate, the first top plate, or the second top plate includes amaterial selected from the group consisting of titanium (Ti), molybdenum(Mo), gold (Au), platinum (Pt), aluminum (Al), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu),chromium (Cr), hafnium (Hf), indium (In), and an alloy of Ti, Mo, Au,Pt, Al, Ni, Cu, Cr, TiAlN, HfAlN, or InAlO.

Example 11 may include the semiconductor device of examples 1-4 and/orsome other examples herein, wherein the first capacitor includes a firstcapacitor dielectric layer separating the first bottom plate and thefirst top plate, and the second capacitor includes a second capacitordielectric layer separating the second bottom plate and the second topplate.

Example 12 may include the semiconductor device of example 11 and/orsome other examples herein, wherein the first capacitor dielectric layeror the second capacitor dielectric layer includes an area of a squareshape, a rectangular shape, a U-shape, or a polygon comprising three ormore sides.

Example 13 may include the semiconductor device of example 10 and/orsome other examples herein, wherein the first capacitor dielectric layeror the second capacitor dielectric layer includes one or more high-kdielectric materials selected from the group consisting of hafniumsilicate, zirconium silicate, hafnium dioxide, hafnium zirconate,zirconium dioxide, aluminum oxide, titanium oxide, silicon nitride,carbon doped silicon nitride, silicon carbide, and nitride hafniumsilicate.

Example 14 may include the semiconductor device of examples 1-4 and/orsome other examples herein, further comprising: a transistor above thesubstrate, wherein the transistor includes a gate electrode above thesubstrate, a channel layer including a channel material, separated fromthe gate electrode by a gate dielectric layer, and a source electrodeand a drain electrode above the channel layer; and wherein the drainelectrode is coupled to the first bottom plate of the first capacitor orthe second bottom plate of the second capacitor.

Example 15 may include the semiconductor device of example 14 and/orsome other examples herein, wherein the first bottom plate of the firstcapacitor or the second bottom plate of the second capacitor is coupledto the drain electrode by a short via within the ILD layer.

Example 16 may include the semiconductor device of example 14 and/orsome other examples herein, wherein the gate electrode is coupled to aword line of a memory array, the first top plate of the first capacitoris coupled to a first bit line of the memory array, the second top plateof the second capacitor is coupled to a second bit line of the memoryarray, and the source electrode is coupled to a source line of thememory array.

Example 17 may include a method for forming a semiconductor device, themethod comprising: forming a first inter-level dielectric (ILD) layerabove a substrate; forming a first bottom plate of a first capacitor anda second bottom plate of a second capacitor within the first ILD layer;forming a first capacitor dielectric layer adjacent to and above thefirst bottom plate, and a second capacitor dielectric layer adjacent toand above the second bottom plate; forming a first top plate of thefirst capacitor adjacent to and above the first capacitor dielectriclayer, and a second top plate of the second capacitor adjacent to andabove the second capacitor dielectric layer; forming a first metalelectrode within a second ILD layer and coupled to the first top plate;and forming a second metal electrode within the second ILD layer andcoupled to the second top plate, wherein the second metal electrode isdisjoint from the first metal electrode so that the first capacitor isaccessed through the first metal electrode without accessing the secondcapacitor through the second metal electrode.

Example 18 may include the method of example 17 and/or some otherexamples herein, wherein the first metal electrode and the second metalelectrode are substantially parallel in a vertical direction withrespect to a surface of the substrate, or the first metal electrode andthe second metal electrode are substantially coplanar with respect tothe surface of the substrate.

Example 19 may include the method of examples 17-18 and/or some otherexamples herein, further comprising: forming a first via coupled to thefirst top plate and the first metal electrode; and forming a second viacoupled to the second top plate and the second metal electrode; whereinthe first via and the second via are at least partially through thefirst ILD layer or the second ILD layer.

Example 20 may include the method of examples 17-18 and/or some otherexamples herein, further comprising: forming a third metal electrodecoupled to the first bottom plate; and forming a fourth metal electrodecoupled to the second bottom plate.

Example 21 may include a computing device, comprising: a circuit board;and a memory device coupled to the circuit board and including a memoryarray, wherein the memory array includes a plurality of memory cells, afirst memory cell of the plurality of memory cells includes a firsttransistor and a first capacitor, and a second memory cell of theplurality of memory cells includes a second transistor and a secondcapacitor; wherein the first capacitor includes a first bottom plate anda first top plate, the first top plate coupled to a first metalelectrode within an inter-level dielectric (ILD) layer to access thefirst capacitor; and wherein the second capacitor includes a second topplate and a second bottom plate, wherein the second top plate is coupledto a second metal electrode within the ILD layer to access the secondcapacitor, and wherein the second metal electrode is disjoint from thefirst metal electrode, and the first capacitor is accessed through thefirst metal electrode without accessing the second capacitor through thesecond metal electrode.

Example 22 may include the computing device of example 21 and/or someother examples herein, wherein the first metal electrode and the secondmetal electrode are substantially parallel in a vertical direction withrespect to a surface of the substrate, or the first metal electrode andthe second metal electrode are substantially coplanar with respect tothe surface of the substrate.

Example 23 may include the computing device of examples 21-22 and/orsome other examples herein, wherein the ILD layer is a first ILD layer,and wherein the first bottom plate is coupled to a third metal electrodewithin a second ILD layer, the second bottom plate is coupled to afourth metal electrode within the second ILD layer, and wherein thefourth metal electrode is disjoint from the third metal electrode.

Example 24 may include the computing device of examples 21-22 and/orsome other examples herein, wherein the first transistor or the secondtransistor includes a channel material selected from the groupconsisting of CuS₂, CuSe₂, WSe₂, indium doped zinc oxide (IZO), zinc tinoxide (ZTO), amorphous silicon (a-Si), amorphous germanium (a-Ge),low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS), transition metaldichalcogenide (TMD), yttrium-doped zinc oxide (YZO), polysilicon, polygermanium doped with boron, poly germanium doped with aluminum, polygermanium doped with phosphorous, poly germanium doped with arsenic,indium oxide, tin oxide, zinc oxide, gallium oxide, indium gallium zincoxide (IGZO), copper oxide, nickel oxide, cobalt oxide, indium tinoxide, tungsten disulphide, molybdenum disulphide, molybdenum selenide,black phosphorus, indium antimonide, graphene, graphyne, borophene,germanene, silicene, Si2BN, stanene, phosphorene, molybdenite,poly-III-V like InAs, InGaAs, InP, amorphous InGaZnO (a-IGZO),crystal-like InGaZnO (c-IGZO), GaZnON, ZnON, or C-Axis Aligned Crystal(CAAC), molybdenum and sulfur, and a group-VI transition metaldichalcogenide.

Example 25 may include the computing device of examples 21-22 and/orsome other examples herein, wherein the computing device is a wearabledevice or a mobile computing device, the wearable device or the mobilecomputing device including one or more of an antenna, a touchscreencontroller, a display, a battery, a processor, an audio codec, a videocodec, a power amplifier, a global positioning system (GPS) device, acompass, a Geiger counter, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a speaker, ora camera coupled with the memory device.

Various embodiments may include any suitable combination of theabove-described embodiments including alternative (or) embodiments ofembodiments that are described in conjunctive form (and) above (e.g.,the “and” may be “and/or”). Furthermore, some embodiments may includeone or more articles of manufacture (e.g., non-transitorycomputer-readable media) having instructions, stored thereon, that whenexecuted result in actions of any of the above-described embodiments.Moreover, some embodiments may include apparatuses or systems having anysuitable means for carrying out the various operations of theabove-described embodiments.

The above description of illustrated implementations, including what isdescribed in the Abstract, is not intended to be exhaustive or to limitthe embodiments of the present disclosure to the precise formsdisclosed. While specific implementations and examples are describedherein for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications arepossible within the scope of the present disclosure, as those skilled inthe relevant art will recognize. These modifications may be made toembodiments of the present disclosure in light of the above detaileddescription. The terms used in the following claims should not beconstrued to limit various embodiments of the present disclosure to thespecific implementations disclosed in the specification and the claims.Rather, the scope is to be determined entirely by the following claims,which are to be construed in accordance with established doctrines ofclaim interpretation.

What is claimed is:
 1. A semiconductor device, comprising: a substrate;a capacitor including a bottom plate above the substrate, and acapacitor dielectric layer above and within the bottom plate, thecapacitor dielectric layer having an uppermost surface at a same levelas an uppermost surface of the bottom plate in a cross-sectional view,and the capacitor including a conductive via on the uppermost surface ofthe capacitor dielectric layer, wherein the conductive via has a smallerlateral dimension than the capacitor dielectric layer and the bottomplate in the cross-sectional view; and a metal electrode coupled to theconductive via.
 2. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein themetal electrode is substantially coplanar with respect to a surface ofthe substrate.
 3. The semiconductor device of claim 1, furthercomprising an interlayer dielectric (ILD) layer above the bottom plateand the capacitor dielectric layer, wherein the conductive via and themetal electrode are in the ILD layer.
 4. The semiconductor device ofclaim 1, further comprising an interlayer dielectric (ILD) layer belowthe bottom plate and the capacitor dielectric layer.
 5. Thesemiconductor device of claim 4, further comprising a second conductivevia in the ILD layer.
 6. The semiconductor device of claim 1, furthercomprising a first interlayer dielectric (ILD) layer above the bottomplate and the capacitor dielectric layer, wherein the conductive via andthe metal electrode are in the first ILD layer; and a second ILD layerbelow the bottom plate and the capacitor dielectric layer.
 7. Thesemiconductor device of claim 6, further comprising a second conductivevia in the second ILD layer.
 8. The semiconductor device of claim 1,wherein the capacitor is included in a bit cell of a memory array, andthe metal electrode is coupled to a bit line of the memory array.
 9. Thesemiconductor device of claim 1, wherein the bottom plate includes aU-shaped portion.
 10. The semiconductor device of claim 1, wherein thebottom plate includes a material selected from the group consisting oftitanium (Ti), molybdenum (Mo), gold (Au), platinum (Pt), aluminum (Al),nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), hafnium (Hf), indium (In), andan alloy of Ti, Mo, Au, Pt, Al, Ni, Cu, Cr, TiAlN, HfAlN, or InAlO. 11.A computing device, comprising: a circuit board; and a memory devicecoupled to the circuit board and including a memory array, wherein thememory array includes a plurality of memory cells, a memory cell of theplurality of memory cells includes a transistor coupled to a capacitor;wherein the capacitor includes a bottom plate above a substrate, and acapacitor dielectric layer above and within the bottom plate, thecapacitor dielectric layer having an uppermost surface at a same levelas an uppermost surface of the bottom plate in a cross-sectional view,and the capacitor including a conductive via on the uppermost surface ofthe capacitor dielectric layer, wherein the conductive via has a smallerlateral dimension than the capacitor dielectric layer and the bottomplate in the cross-sectional view.
 12. The computing device of claim 11,further comprising a metal electrode coupled to the conductive via ofthe capacitor.
 13. The computing device of claim 12, further comprisingan interlayer dielectric (ILD) layer above the bottom plate and thecapacitor dielectric layer, wherein the conductive via and the metalelectrode are in the ILD layer.
 14. The computing device of claim 11,further comprising an interlayer dielectric (ILD) layer below the bottomplate and the capacitor dielectric layer.
 15. The computing device ofclaim 14, further comprising a second conductive via in the ILD layer.16. The computing device of claim 11, further comprising a batterycoupled to the circuit board.
 17. The computing device of claim 11,further comprising a display coupled to the circuit board.
 18. Thecomputing device of claim 11, further comprising a camera coupled to thecircuit board.
 19. The computing device of claim 11, further comprisinga GPS coupled to the circuit board.
 20. The computing device of claim11, further comprising a sensor coupled to the circuit board.